Noach Dear (November 20, 1953 – April 19, 2020) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a New York Supreme Court judge. Dear was elected in 2008 as a civil court judge, in 2010 as an Acting Supreme Court Justice, and in 2015 for a 15-year term as a Permanent Justice on the New York Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment, he served as a member of the New York City Council from 1983 to 2001. He died during the COVID-19 pandemic due to complications of COVID-19.

Dear was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Joan (Lipins) and Sidney Dear.^[1][2] As a child, Dear was in Eli Lipsker's Pirchei Agudath Israel Choir, and sang on the first New York Pirchei album Pirchei Sings אליך ה' אקרא‎.^[3] He attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaas.^[4] He maintained a connection to the Jewish music business into his early adulthood, being a founding member of the Clei Zemer Orchestra.^[5]

Dear received a B.S. from Brooklyn College (1975), a master's degree in social work from Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University (1975), and a JD from Brooklyn Law School (1991).^[6][7][8][9]

His public service career began as a district leader and as district manager of Brooklyn's Community Board 12.^[10][11][12]

Dear served as a member of the New York City Council from 1983 to 2001.^[6] He headed the Transportation Committee and opposed commuter vans, otherwise known as "dollar vans," as a transportation alternative while in office.^[13] Council member Dear also served on "the Finance and Land Use Committees as well."^[14]

He advocated support for the State of Israel and concern for the issues impacting the primarily Jewish-and heavily Orthodox Jewish-residents in his community, which included Midwood, as well as large swaths of Borough Park and Bensonhurst, all in Brooklyn.^[6] In 1986, Dear voted against a civil rights bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodation.^[15][6] In 1987 he introduced a bill, supported by "about 30 members of the City Council," to push permission for "more Jews .. to leave the Soviet Union."^[16]

Dear was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission in 2002 for a seven-year term.^[6]

Dear was widely seen as a political rival of Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represented many of the same constituents that Dear once represented while in office, and comes from an Orthodox Jewish background.^[17]

Term-limited out of office, Dear launched an uphill campaign for the New York State Senate seat now held by Kevin Parker in 2002. In a five-candidate field, Dear narrowly lost to Parker by a margin of 909 votes.^[18] Dear also ran in a Democratic congressional primary that chose the successor to Charles Schumer in 1998, which saw him face three other candidates, including the eventual winner, Anthony Weiner.^[19][20]

Dear was a New York Supreme Court judge, elected in 2008 as a civil court judge, in 2010 as an Acting Supreme Court Justice, and in 2015 for a 15-year term as a Permanent Justice on the Supreme Court.^[21][6]

Dear contracted COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, was sick for weeks, and was placed on a ventilator.^[6] He died on April 19, 2020, aged 66.^[22][2] Dear was the second Brooklyn judge to die as a result of COVID-19.^[23]